How to care for your books

Never take a book off a shelf by putting your finger on the top of the spine and pulling the book towards you — this damages the head-cap. Try and remove a book by either passing your hand over the top and gently pushing from the fore-edge.

2. Keep it close:

Don’t open your book too wide or flap one side behind the other. If you stretch the book open too wide, the binding may loosen and pages will come lose.

3. Open with care:

Opening a book flat on a tabletop concentrates the strain onto the weakest point of the binding, the joint between the spine and the front and back boards. Once these joints are broken, the covers and spine can break off.

4. Use a bookmark:

Don’t dog ear your book or leave it open to mark a page. Use a bookmark at all times. Avoid using bookmarks made of fancy shapes or material,

as those are often thicker than the paper ones and can cause gaps in the binding.

5. Shelf it right:

While placing books on a shelf, stack them one on top of another. If you lean them against each other, paperbacks will bend and lose their shape. Use book ends or pack the books in tightly so that each book stands straight.